BRUSSELS — A NATO spokeswoman says attacks on houses in Afghanistan are necessary and will continue in cooperation with Afghan security forces.

The comment came Tuesday after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he would no longer allow NATO airstrikes on houses, following a recent strike that killed a group of children and women in southern Helmand province.

NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu says the alliance takes Karzai’s concerns very seriously, and would continue to make every effort to avoid civilian casualties. She says all such strikes are coordinated with Afghan forces and “they continue to be necessary.”

She says, “in many of these operations, Afghans are in the lead,” she said. She would not comment specifically on the recent raid in Helmand province.